Sadly, I agree. I edited an academic book, co-authoring two of the chapters. It was a lot of work for very little ROI. #neveragain
First, it was time consuming to get chapter authors and herd them thru the process, keeping chapters in consistent format and on time. Nearly impossible.
Then, reviewing lit for the chapters I co-authored took much time. Turned out to be great pieces, BUT..,
By the time the book finally comes out the chapters are dated. Publishers charge a fortune for the book (and individual chapters) which means fewer readers and fewer citations than a manuscript.
A pricy book deters profs from using as a text and students from buying on their own. Nominal money earned. Very little impact relative to other academic activities.
